Starting with the moment people add each other on Snapchat, timing and the frequency of message exchange played an important role in moderating relationship cues. Participants noted that timing is important when it comes to adding someone through
saved contacts in your phone also had to be someone you already knew well. One male participant said there was a “statute of limitations” between getting someone’s number and adding them on Snapchat. “Like, I got this person’s number like three months ago, just because we worked together,” he said. “Should I just add them out of the blue, is that weird?” In terms of timing, participants shared that adding someone as a Snapchat friend by snapcode was the “least awkward” way of making friends because it is “in the
moment.” This section will share the feedback of focus group participants that addresses the fourth research question, How does time play a factor in impacting relationships on Snapchat?
The focus groups participants highlighted how both the extended time of exchanging messages and frequency of messages played a role in their relationships on Snapchat. There were numerous reasons for the high-volume of exchanges over an extended period of time. A big factor was the disappearing nature of Snapchat, which allowed for timely “in the moment” sharing. The ephemeral nature of the images and video also meant that it does not take up space on people’s phones, which allowed for a higher volume of sharing. Finally, the nature of Snapchat’s streaks function encouraged ongoing sharing between individuals on Facebook to continue the daily interaction.
Streaks are a unique phenomenon that emerged as a driving force in encouraging sharing among the focus group participants. One female participant shared that people who have streaks longer than 365 days “care so much” that they will go to great lengths to continue the streaks. “When we were abroad some people literally gave their Snapchat to their friends so they could log on and keep up their streaks,” the one participant said.
Another female participant shared how going on a one-day retreat without phones created anxiety among those who had streaks. “Everybody was like ‘Oh my God, save the streak!’ before we got it back the next day,” the participant said. While one
participant found going to great lengths to preserve streaks was “too extreme,” the participants agreed that continuing a streak can be a great motivator to continue extended conversations with others over time.
Deeper relationships.
Participants reported that starting a streak is a strategy to start an extended conversation with someone and a deeper relationship. After starting a streak, those you communicate with frequently show up on a “best friends list” that encourages even more communication. A male participant said that streaks provide a way to “track how much communication you’ve had with certain people recently.” This participant reported that he would “casually” send messages to someone in order to establish a streak. “If you don’t have a streak with someone yet and you really want to make one… you just pretend you are casually snapping,” he said. Over time, this can develop into a deeper
relationship. “One time, I started talking to one of my friends more and he was on my best friends list and I was like, ‘How did this happen!' Then I snapped him more for the sake that he was at the top of my list and then I talked to him more and we’re better friends now I guess,” this participant said. The focus group participants reported that streaks open up an avenue to continued frequent interaction.
Participants reported that, over an extended period of time, streaks could strengthen the bond of relationships with people they were already close with. One female participant, Hannah, reported that she made a pact with her best friend after they
reached a streak of 365 consecutive days of exchanging messages. They decided to continue a streak “for life” that they were not going to break “unless severe injury or death.” However, the streak was broken when Hannah studied abroad and didn’t have access to an Internet connection for more than a 24-hour period, which results in her not able to send a message to her best friend. Hannah’s friend then “got really freaked out” and sent a message to a mutual friend to make sure Hannah was fine. “She was like, ‘Hannah wouldn’t break the streak,’ so it was kind of a way for her to make sure I was alive.” Hannah reported that she felt a sadness from this loss of connection after this daily interaction ended with the streak. “I kind of missed it, at first when it happened I was really really upset,” Hannah said. “After that I was like ‘OK, this is OK,’ and then I kind of missed not hearing from her every day.” This demonstrates as the SIP Theory shows that extended interaction can be a powerful tool to build relationships in CMC, and the streak function provides an avenue for this type of ongoing interaction.